Reflections: Through the Glass
by crowskisses
Summary: Rath takes a trip down to Roswell to see what his dupe's life is like. Set preshooting even though there is a Michael and Maria moment. Rated T for strong language.


Disclaimer: I don't own anything Roswell related. It's sad i know.

Rating: T (R) for language.

Summary: Pre shooting. Rath takes a trip to Roswell to see what the life of his dupe is like plus a random conversation between Maria and Michael.

Spoilers: Slight allusions to my other story, Collision.

AN: Uh yeah, had a dream figured I'd write it up. I'm stillw orking on Collision I promise.

"Reflection: Through the Glass"

Why am I here you ask?

Well to tell you the fucking truth I don't really know. Sometimes even I need to get away, get outta those damn sewers every once and awhile.

See, my life is shit. I live in a fucking sewer with my 'family', Zan he's aight, a bit controlling but he's da man so I just seethe about it. Lonnie, lets just skip her cause I ain't got time to psychoanalyze all her shit. Then there's Ava, kinda mousy, wacky for Zan but she's the best pickpocket outta all of us.

We'ze had a fight, all of us, a big row with lots of yelling and powers shooting off and shit so I left. I blew town, and where better to go than to see my dupe. I hope his life is as shitty as mine.

"Yo, bitch I need a map to Roswell." Don't look at me like that, yeah I called you a bitch, well what the fuck are you gonna do about it?

Nothing, that's right.

"Here. Looking for aliens?" She's alright looking, but that condescending smirk is really ruining my libido. Ah a wedding ring, how cute. What lovely ammunition.

"Nah, see I'm looking for you." I lean in real close, always scares em.

"Why?" She's getting nervous now, well she shouldn'ta messed with me.

"Just thought you mights wantsa to know who you'ze man been fucking around on you with." Perfect delivery, perfect pitch, man I'm good.

See I don't actually know her husband and I definitely don't go in for guys, I like to play with different equipment. But the thing is, she pissed me off, so her life should suck………..just like mine.

Her face contorts and all the breath leaves her as she clutches the counter. Good, one last smirk and I'm gone, leaving her with a memory she'll never forget. I like to leave a legacy, even if it's just pain.

I go back out to the stolen firebird and drive. A few days, a bunch of pissed off drivers, several stolen wallets, a few hot chicks and some angry cops later I'm here.

I'm standing outside his shitty ass trailer, it ain't no sewer but it ain't no Ritz either. At least it's above ground, and not flooded. Whatev, there's a bunch of yelling from inside.

I slink up to the window and look in. Fuck, he's getting whaled on by some drunk guy. That blows, but what's home without some good old domestic violence to make you feel loved?

"Such a fucking screw up, no wonder your parents left you in the desert."

As if he had parents, nope they were just a bunch of abandoned aliens sent to save a planet. What a crock.

"Go to hell, Hank." Same voice, no New York accent, still impatient and rash. Still stupid. Even I coulda told him that was a bad move, shouldn'ta he have learned to keep his mouth shut by now?

He just got popped in the face, prolly hurts like a bitch, but he don't hit back. I'd ask why but I already know. See I rolled with a chick who used to get beat up at home a lot. Here's the sitch, hitting back ain't do no good, you still gotsa go home in the evening cuz that shitty ass dad who beats you? Yeah, it's all you got and you know it, and it ain't all that bad.

Took me awhile to get it cuz I ain't never had no parents, but family is family, home is home. Getting punched every once in a while beats sleepin on the streets.

A cuff to the back of my dupes head, it's kinda weird watching yourself get beat up, like a crazy mirror. I'd hit back, no I wouldn't.

I'd just kill the fucker and keep the trailer for myself.

But that's me and I ain't never had no shit but my past, and there. There I ruled, I was the top dawg and nobody fucked with me. Not much has changed, except I live in a sewer…

I might as well help the sucker out, bruises ruin my good looks, even if they ain't actually on me. Reach out with the power, give the drunk a punch and down he goes out cold.

My dupe just stares at him, then slowly wipes the blood from his mouth with his sleeve. He grabs a blanket from the couch and throws it on the older guy casually before ditching that little tin box. How cute.

It's late, where oh where could he be going? Who knows but we're about to find out…

He sticks to the shadows, like me, some things run in us so strongly we can't ever really forget or deny them. We look a lot alike, twins pretty much, both wearing black, both with spiky hair though mine's a hella lot better. He's missin the four square tat on his arm, and a few piercings but I'll let him slide, this is a small town..

Ah we're in suburbia, the wonderful world of middle class assholes who think the world belongs to them. He slips up to a window and pushes it up, going in silently. I follow, making sure I can see in.

Zan pulls a bat, well his clean cut dorky looking Zan.

"It's me."

Zan rubs his face, "Yeah, Hank?"

"Couldn't sleep." The curt reply, keeping his secrets close. I woulda said the same thing, no actually I woulda told Zan to mind his own fucking business but really a lie is just as good. Why ruin Roswell Zan's perfect life, in perfect suburbia with his poster child for a troubled teen life?

Roswell Zan shrugs, rolling out a sleeping bag on the floor. He gets back in bed, no questions asked. "Night Michael."

"Night." My dupes tight reply as he lays down on the sleeping bag. I gotsa a sleeping back in the sewers for winter, jacked it from some hobo. It's pretty new and it's even black, Lonnie and I usually share it…..if she's horny. If not, well tough fucking luck for her.

I'm an ass, so I break into Rozzie Zan's house, eat some of their food while they all sleep. I figure, we're practically bros anyway so he can spare some grub. Whatev, it's morning and I'm following my dupe to highschool after a quick stop back at the trailer.

Here's the sitch, my dupe don't do much in school. He lurks, he scowls, he's antisocial. He cuts class, and if he goes he sleeps, or rolls his eyes. He's actually a pretty cool guy.

Some chick just smiled at him in the hallway, short blonde hair, funky clothes. She seems kinda familiar, but that don't matta. I'd do her, but he just scowls at her.

Well he's a fucking moron. Chick smiles at you, she wants in your pants, she sure don't want you to scowl at her.

It's lunch time and he's stalking his way over to his Zan. His Zan with the nice clothes, the home packed lunch. Man Zan's always get it better no matter what universe, it's da same back in the sewers. Zan is king, so Zan gets all the good stuff just like on Antar. Well not exactly like on Antar, back home I was it, nobody ruled me, I ruled them, I even had me a nice chick. But she's long gone by now, hell, she was long gone before I was…though that doesn't mean it hurts any less. Whatev, Zan though, he had it rough, the council was all up in is goodies all the time, plus a whole rebellion.

Lonnie. Or their version of her, long blonde hair, preppy clothes. I'd do her.

She sits down, taking a bite of her pizza. She makes a digusted, over acted face. "Ewww olives. That's so wrong, here Michael."

She shoves the pizza at him, it's totally obvious that she's just doing it to give him food because she knows he ain't got no home packed lunch. At least she's cool about it, trying to make it not look like charity food.

He takes it silently, I woulda too. See this Lonnie…she seems nice, she cares bout him, though they're obviously not enjoying each other's intimate company. See my Lonnie used to be nice like that, she used to look out for me, make sure I got as much as she did but that was way long ago.

Before the memories came, before she found out who Vilandra really was. And now? Now she's a bitch.

These Roswell four, though I ain't seen their Ava yet, it's so obvious they don't know nuthin bout Antar, nothing bout why we're here. Because if they did? They sure as hell wouldn't be who they are, they'd be hard, they'd be fighting for power…..They'd be us.

"Stop staring, Maxwell." My dupe, he's warning his Zan bout something. I follow their eyes.

Some brunette chick, she's aight lookin, the kinda girl Zan always liked. She was with that blonde one, all smiles that one.

Maxwell looks away, its obvious he wants her. Too bad. You're an alien, she's not…life's tough.

The afternoon is pretty boring, Mickey boy only bothers to go to one class. Art. He's fairly decent, makes me wonder if I'm any good at it. Prolly, I'll steal some shit and give it a go whenever I go back to New York. If I go back. After school I follow him across town to some restaurant, the Crashdown something or other.

This place is whack, totally kitchy, it makes me wanna retch. I don't see how he can stand to go to this place that mocks our very existence. And have you seen what those waitresses wear? It's outta some bad B movie, makes me wanna blast it all to bits.

A blonde waitress, the blonde, now showing off some serious leg, bounces over to his booth wearing that stupid uniform and stupid antennae. "Hi, I'm Maria and I'll be your waitress today! What can I get you to drink…..let me guess cherry coke?"

Man she's perky, it's kinda annoyin. I totally support him just scowling at her, and growling out, "Yeah."

She blinks for a second, then slams her order pad down onto his table. She's pissed, she's about to rip him a new one. "You know what? This is not acceptable. I mean God what is your problem, I'm trying to be nice here even though I've had the worst day, totally the worst, and your all scowly. Don't you growl at me, Michael Guerin."

"There goes your tip." Wrong answer, I can already see it in her face.

She slides angrily into the booth across from him. "You never tip. You know what? All I want is for you not to be all scowly at me, I smile at you you smile back. See growling and insulting random people, that's not normal human behavior… That's angry monkey behavior."

Not normal human behavior, well baby he ain't human. She's all worked up and its hot, sparks are flyin, I'm diggin it from outside and him? Yeah, my dupe's feelin it too, getting himself all angry.

"Don't you have work to do? Other customers to harass?" He leans closer, getting in her face with it, making himself as mean as he can be. He ain't got nothin on me.

"More angry monkey behavior. Here's some advice, get over it. You're so angry, at everyone at everything, well guess what we all have crappy lives so join the club. …..Wait, your antisocial so clubs probably scare you…"

Damn, she's shootin to kill. I like it.

"You have a shitty life? Yeah right, look you don't know me and I don't know you. Let's keep it that way." He's pissed, he don't want no chick telling him about a shitty life. I hear him, these humans they don't know what a shitty life is.

"I don't know you? I know all about you, boys like you. Think they're so tough, so hard, but really your just lonely and angry at the world. You know what you totally need to drop this Joan Collins attitude, it's getting old. You need to be less….less…lesss…" She trailed off, lost in a struggle for words.

"Less angry?" His voice is dry, matching the smirk on his face.

"Exactly. Good. That's good, now here. Take this, smell it when you get all mad, it's eucalyptus. It's totally calming." She shoves some sort of bottle at him from a pocket outta that hot little dress she's wearin.

He just stares at it.

"I give you something, now you say 'thanks, Maria, you're a total goddess.'" She giggles at the disbelieving look on his face.

"Well you can drop the goddess part, but you better say thank you or else…" Did she just make a joke on his dupe? Was this girl insane? Hell yeah.

"Thanks." It's a mutter.

She pauses, thinking. "You know what else you need to work on? I mean besides your manners, people skills and hygiene. Going to class, see to escape this crappy town you gotta have a high school diploma."

What does this chick have, a list of his fucking faults? And who was she, Oprah? Dolling out advice. I fucking hate Oprah, Ava and Lonnie they totally dig her, but I think she's a moron, just out for her own personal feel goodness. I bet she's a bitch in real life.

"I sit behind you in algebra."

Her face puckers up, all cute and shit. "So that's what math we're in, I keep thinking its geometry."

She sighs obviously math isn't her thing and dupe boy? He smirks.

"Wait you've actually been to math? I've been using that desk for my stuff… Are you any good at it? I mean the whole math thing. Because I really need somebody to cheat off of cuz Liz totally hides her answers." God that girl just keeps talking, motor mouth, blah blah blah I feel like punching something to make sure I'm still awake.

My dupe looks just as confused by the babble, though he manages an "Uh yeah."

"Tell you what. Since I totally just chewed you out, which I'm really mortified about. You help me out with the math test on Thursday, and not growl at me, and your meal is on the house. My treat." She babbles at him while slipping out of the booth with a big smile.

My treat. Uh, it ain't really a treat if your making him do all this shit, blondie.

My dupe seems to realize this as well, but apparently doesn't care. There's chemistry here, and maybe he won't ever fuck her but he'll certainly pull her chain a lot. "You're still not getting a tip."

The big smile on her face turns to a look of indignation. "Why not?'

He smirks at her, "I only tip waitresses who actually bring me my food. See you yelled at me and listed my faults…."

She stomps away, angry. Man she's smokin, still seems familiar. My dupe watches her go, just like me, both our eyes scorching her. He smirks when she glares at him, but you know what? That little bottle of smelly shit she gave him, yeah, he just put it in his pocket.

I turn and walk away, he's got a shitty life. Maybe not on par with mine, but shitty all the same. It's like lookin through the glass only to find a mirror.

And you know what? I'm kinda likin what I see, he's just my reflection. Less broken, less cracks showin but we still screwed up, we aint whole, but that's ok.

She told him he was angry at the world and to get over it. You know what? I think she was tellin' me too.

So sure Lonnie's a bitch, Zan's a control freak, and Ava's quiet. But they home, and maybe it's time I accept that shit. Because lookin throu the glass at that mirror, I finally saw sumpthin.

I saw myself.

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